Almost
by Lollipopp95
Summary: ShikaIno. "He wasn't an ex-boyfriend. But he was an ex-something. An ex-maybe. An ex-almost." (tumblr) Also I am so, so suck at chategories. Sorry.
They weren't dating. Never. Ever. They never had _that_ kind of relationship. They had a very different love. But never in _that_ way.

She was loud, and bossy, and violent.

He was quiet, and lazy, and Mr. Not even give a shit.

Yeah, they always loved each other, but never that way. Just like siblings. A sister and a brother. Grew up together, being strong together. They weren't friends. They weren't teammates. They were more. But not in _that_ way.

So, we can say… _technically,_ he wasn't an ex-boyfriend. No, not a chance.

She was dating many guys. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was not. Sometimes she was in love, sometimes she was not. That was normal. She had really… I mean, r _eally_ lot exes. The half freakin' village. But not him. Never him.

He was who always listened to the stories. Stories about very good, and very, very bad dates. But he always just listened. Never _that_ guy, who goes on a date with her. No. Never. But it didn't matter, if the date was bad or good, she was in love, or not… she always came to him. And he always listened to her. It never mattered, if it was the freakin' middle of the night. He was him. And she was her. So it never mattered.

No, not an ex-boyfriend. But… he was definitely an ex-something.

It wasn't easy. To see, how broken he was, after their sensei died. She never thought that he could be so… vulnerable. It wasn't as if it was evident, oh, no. But she knew him. She just… felt it. You know, in her bones, in her soul. The way, how he clenched his fists, how he stood in front of the grave, how he cared for Kurenai-sensei, and the newborn child… she just knew. Because they had something. Something strong.

It wasn't easy. To make the perfect plan, where she couldn't get injured. He hated, when she was out of her body. It wasn't as if he didn't trust her, oh, no. She was strong. He knew that. And at her clan's techniques, she was really… impressive. She was a pure talent, and he knew that. But he just couldn't stand the possibility that she might get hurt. It wasn't an option. But sometimes, it just had to go in that way. And he hated it. But he hoped. Because she was strong. And she trusted him, with her life. And he protected her. Because they had something. Something special.

We could say… he was an ex-maybe.

It wasn't as if she look him in _that_ way. No. Never. He was just the lazy bum, her childhood friend, her teammate, her… her something. But he was smart. No, not smart. He was a genius. And he wasn't ugly. No, not even a little. And he was loyal, and responsible. He always took his teammates first. Always before himself. Serve the village. Protect the King. He had the Will of Fire, more than anybody else. He was an amazing person. And an incredible friend. And maybe… just maybe something more.

It wasn't as if he couldn't recognize that she was beautiful. Man, _everyone_ could see that. But a body, and a pretty face… it was just… nothing. Many guys fell in love with her, just because of her smile, of her gold hair, or maybe her perfect body – oh, come on, we all knew, it was perfect. But it wasn't the whole picture, and he wasn't attracted about outside. Or not _just…_ but he saw more. He saw her braveness, when she protected her loved ones. He saw her power, when she decided something. He saw, how she cared about the others. How soft her touch was on the flowers, or on the other ones. He saw her pure and honest love that she shared. He saw her pretty face and hot body, of course… but he saw the most beautiful part of her. Her soul. And maybe… just maybe it was his favourite part too.

Or… he was an ex-almost.

Who knows, when _that_ moment was. Maybe, when she connected with his brain. When he gave her all his thoughts, all his memories, fears, dreams… when he trusted her. Not just with his life… but with his everything. And she was careful. She protected his everything. She was a guest in his mind… but a welcomed one. And maybe… maybe it was _that_ moment. When he looked up at her eyes behind her hand. They were just looking into each other's eyes. And it was more than friendship. More than two team members' moment. It was a moment when two minds and two souls connected into something special. It was _almost that_ moment… but it was war. So the almost was just… almost.

Maybe when the war was over. They just stood there. They all lived. They won. Everything just started to go back to normal. They were just standing there, and were watching each other. They shared the same pain. They mourned their fathers together. They lost their sensei together. They lost their childhood on that battlefield. But they were together. In the deepest ways of the burning hell… they were together. Back to back, mind to mind, soul to soul… heart to heart. It could be perfect. That was the new beginning. And she _almost_ took a step to him. He _almost_ touched her hand. She _almost_ wrapped her arms around his neck. He _almost_ kissed her. They _almost_ … but the moment was over. The war ended. The new chapter started. And they had to be adults, responsible heads of their clans. So they just shared a smile, and headed home. And the almost was just… almost.

They weren't dating. Never. Ever. They didn't love each other in _that_ way. They weren't each other ex-lovers.

They were ex-maybe.

They were ex-almost.


End file.
